When Macy’s announced this morning that it would closing its downtown St. Paul, Minn., store, it came as little surprise. The St. Paul location had been under performing for years. And the rumors that Macy’s would shut down the store had grown in volume last year.
Now the discussion turns to the future. What will happen to the 362,000-square-foot store that first opened in downtown St. Paul in 1963?
At least one interested party, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, says that the store closure actually represents an opportunity.
“Today, the face of downtown has changed, and we stand on a firm foundation that includes the building of hundreds of new housing units, a Lund’s grocery store, the Lowertown regional ballpark, a revitalized Union Depot and an almost completed Central Corridor light rail line,” the mayor said in a statement. “Downtown St. Paul’s momentum and rebirth continues. The Macy’s site provides the city with a tremendous opportunity to bring another part of our city into the 21st Century.”
Of course, the closing of the St. Paul store will still be painful. The store employs 153 people.
The St. Paul closing isn’t the only that Macy’s announced. The retailer also said this morning that it is closing stores in California, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Texas and Nevada.
Cincinnati-based Macy’s, though, remains a retail force even after the closings. The company operates more than 800 stores in 45 states.
